Welcome to the CloudSat Data Processing Center

CloudSat is a satellite mission designed to measure the vertical structure of clouds from space. The radar data produces detailed images of cloud structures which will contribute to a better understanding of clouds and climate. Please peruse this website to find out more about the CloudSat mission and the Data Processing Center.

CloudSat momentum wheel anomaly and status

January 24, 2018

CloudSat is currently in standby mode due to a spacecraft momentum wheel anomaly. Due to safety concerns, the CloudSat spacecraft will be executing a maneuver to lower it’s orbit and leave the A-Train. If that maneuver is successful, CloudSat should return to daytime-only operation sometime in the mid-February timeframe. Co-located CloudSat and CALIPSO data products will only be available after the orbit change, and co-located MODIS-AUX products will only be available during the period where CloudSat flies under the MODIS data swath. ECMWF-AUX products will continue to be produced along with radar-only standard CloudSat products.
Related Products:

CloudSat Reaction Wheel Anomaly

July 10, 2017

The CloudSat spacecraft entered standby mode on June 4th, 2017 after experiencing a problem with one of its four reaction wheels. Tests are underway to determine how to solve the problem and resume operations.
Related Products:

R05 Product Release

April 13, 2017

CloudSat is announcing the release of the first batch of R05 data products to the General Science Community. Products included in this release are:

Note that in addition to product-specific improvements that will be detailed in forthcoming documentation there are two changes users need to be aware of. Profiles that were previously not included in R04 data files because of spacecraft/instrument issues are included in R05. If the Data_quality field is not zero for a profile users will either want to skip the profile or examine the other data status flags to determine if it should be used. Also, R05 filenames now include “_F00” for possible fixes within a released product version.

These products are in the process of being added to the DPC web ordering page and product documents are being updated. Look for status updates in the coming days on the DPC home page. Please report any issues or questions to the DPC at cloudsat@colostate.edu.

CloudSat's 10th Anniversary

April 28, 2016

Ten years ago on April 28th, 2006, the CloudSat and CALIPSO satellites were launched into orbit. Since then both spacecraft have been gathering data to support cloud research, weather forecasting and climate modeling. Check out the Colorado State University press release.